The tyranny of an ending
I am increasingly post-story when it comes to game. I've been around this particular block so many times that I no longer realistically expect to be surprised by mainstream games' tales of heroism and dystopia, but it's more than that - I grow less and frustrated by the prevalence of tropes and posturing and failure to understand the power of brevity. So long as I can skip a cutscene if I want to, I can cope with almost any degree of wretchedness from it now, without feeling fury or despair as I once did. Unless a story or character has enraptured me from the earliest moments, I am content not to care, to miss anything and just enjoy the narrative of challenge, failure and victory from my own in-game actions.
Until it ends. That's the paradox: no matter how little I was invested, once I know the story's complete, I lose all impetus to continue.
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